US launches new strikes on Iran

The US said it launched new strikes on southern Iran, targeting Iranian missile sites and boats attempting to place mines, the BBC reported.

The strikes were taken in "self-defense" and were designed "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces", US Central Command said in a statement.

Central Command spokesperson Capt Tim Hawkins said the US military "continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire" between the two countries.

Iran is yet to respond to the US attack. However, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai earlier said that while some progress had been made in talks to end the war, a deal "is not imminent".

It is unclear what impact the strikes will have on any potential peace agreement between the US and Iran.

Following the strikes, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal was still possible and pointed to talks on Tuesday between Iran's top negotiator and foreign minister and Qatar's prime minister.

"We'll see if we can make progress. I think it's a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it'll take a few days," Rubio told reporters during an official visit to India.

He said President Donald Trump had "expressed his desire to make it".

"He's either going to make a good deal or no deal," Rubio said.

Asked again later about Monday's strikes, Rubio said: "The straits have to be open. They're going to be open one way or the other, so they need to be open. What's happening there is unlawful, it's illegal, it's unsustainable for the world, it's unacceptable."

Capt Hawkins said the US strikes targeted an area near Bandar Abbas, a southern port city and home of an Iranian naval base that sits on the Strait of Hormuz, according to the New York Times.

Iranian state media had earlier reported that local officials in Bandar Abbas were investigating after explosions were heard.

Earlier in May, a clash between Iranian and US naval destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz - for which each side blamed the other - led Trump to insist a ceasefire was still in place.